Selecting means



"Oct. 28, 1941. w, M H UGHT'ON 2,260,748

SELECTING MEANS Filed June 21, 1940 Patented Oct. 28, 1941 i UNITEDSTATES" PATENT OFFICE SELECTING MEANS William M. Hought on, Marblehead,Mass. Application June 21, 1940, Serial 341,663

13 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in selecting means, and moreparticularly means by which certain members of a group canbeautomatically shifted relative to the group when occasion arises.

One use for such means is with reference to lantern slides and theinvention will be so described herein, it being understood, however,that it is not limited thereto and that its application to lanternslides is illustrative only and is not limitative. 1

One difliculty experienced by amateur photo raphers who make slides oftheir choicest pictures is in storing the slides so that they arereadily accessible. If a container be provided for each group thepossibility of expansion'is of course limited. Moreover, many prefer toarrange their pictures chronologically or in groups, depending upon thetrip during which they were made.

The primary object ofthis invention is to provide means whereby certainpreselected lantern slides or the like stored in a collection in acontainer are shifted or moved relative to the others so that they areseparated and can readily be removed without difficulty.

A further object of this invention is to, provide in conjunction with abox or other container having a plurality of slide receivingcompartments a plurality of movable selectors each including a movablebar and a plurality of slide actuating elements which are associatedwith the bar so that movement of the bar causes the elements associatedtherewith to raise certain preselected slides.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from aconsideration of the following description of the invention and of thedrawin which forms a part thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a planview of abox having compartments adapted to contain a plurality of lantern slidesand selectors by the actuation of which certain preselected slides arevaried slightly in the compartments containing them;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of said box, severalcompartments of which contain slides and certain of said slides havingbeen raised by the actuation of a selector;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the box taken along the line 33 ofFig. 1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate in perspective two forms of elements which maybe associated with the bars of the selectors.

Referring to the drawing, the box I5 is divided by partitions [6 into aplurality of compartments I I. In the bottom of each, compartment isformed a slot l8 preferably midway between the partitions by which thecompartments are. de-

fined. i

In the base of the boxbelow the compartments I! are mounted a pluralityof selectors l9 by which slides 20in the compartments are selected. Eachselector l9 includes a bar 2| which extends transversely of thecompartments I1 and is reciprocablein a channel 22., ,As shown in Fig. 2

veach bar 2| is provided with a pair of pockets 23 notched in the bottomedge of thebar. Fixed in the .base of the box are a pair of rods 24which are generally perpendicularto the bars. Each pocket 23 isgenerally right. angulan having a vertical front wall 25, a downwardlyand rearwardly inclined topwall 26 and a right angular recess21 at therear edge, The rods 24 pass through the pockets 23 of the bars and areso positioned that when thebar 2| is at the position of rest the rods 24are at the angle of the back and top walls of the pocket and when thebar 2| is in the operative position the bars are in the recesses 21.Each bar 2l is provided at its outer end with a knob 28.

Positionedin the slots l8 of the compartments I! are a plurality oflifter buttons 30, each of vwhich is provided with a central notch 3| atthe lower edge. The buttons 30 include a fiat head 32 on which the slide20 rests, and a longitudinally extending body which is of suchdimensions that it is freely movable in the slot l8, and which embodiesa pair of legs 33 separated by the notch 3 I'. The buttons'are so formedthat when placed in the slots l8 the legs 33 extend at either side ofthe 'bars 2| (seeFig. 3). In place of the button 30 (Fig. 4-)othe'rforms of lifters may be used as for example abutton 40 of wire sobent as to provide anotch 4|, a pair of spaced flat heads 42, and a pairof legs 43 which define the notch 41. At one end of the box is provideda compartment or chamber 50 in which may be kept a s'upplyof'lift'erbuttons and a pair of'tweeze'rs or'other instruments to be used inplacing or removing the buttons. The box may be provided with a cover(not shown).

The illustrated embodiment includes six selectors H! which are forconvenience designated in any desired manner, as by the letters A to Finclusive. The slides 20 may be placed in the various compartmentschronologically or in any other manner. In accordance with thisinvention the slides are classified into groups according to the type ofpictures carried thereby and each group is associated with one of theselectors.

For example, with selector A, scenery; with selector B, houses; withselector C, mountains; with selector D, family; with selector E,animals; and with selector F, gardens.

Before each slide is placed in a compartmenq I1, a button 30 is set inthe slot l8 of that compartment over that bar 2| of the selector withwhich is associated the group of slides which includes that slide.Should the slide belong in two groups, two buttons 30 would be provided.Thus the fourth slide from the left in Fig. 2 carries a picture of thefamily in the garden and consequently belongs to both the family and thegarden groups, i. e., selectors D and F.

If it be desired to see the slides carrying garden pictures, theselector F is retracted. During the movement of the bar 2| the rods 24cause it to rise until the rods are in the recesses 21, whereupon theycheck further movement of the selector and support the bar in its upperposition. As the bar is raised the buttons 3!] placed over it in theslots of certain compartments are raised so that the slides carryinggarden pictures are lifted and held above the normal level of the mainbody of slides and can be located instantly and removed withoutdifficulty.

Since the lifter buttons 3!] are merely set in the slots they can easilybe removed or shifted from over one bar 2| to over another bar when theslide in the compartment is removed or'changed. Similarly theclassification of the slides can be altered whenever desired.

While one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described indetail, it will be understood that the invention is not limited theretoand that other embodiments differin therefrom in certain details ofconstruction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim: 1. In a device of the class described, a container in which aplurality of articles are stored, a plurality of movable means carriedby the container vby the movement of each of which means a group ofpreselected articles in the container is shifted relative to the otherarticles so that such shifted articles can be readily removed, certainof said articles belonging in more than one group and being shifted bythe movement of any one of a corresponding number of said movable means.

2. In a device of the class described, a container in which a pluralityof articles are stored, movable means carried by the container by themovement of which certain predetermined articles in the container areshifted relative to the other articles so that such predeterminedarticles can be readily removed, such means comprising a plu rality ofactuable bars, and lifters removably engageable by such bars each lifterbeing in engagement with an article whereby, upon the actuation of anyof said bars, the lifters engaged thereby raise all articles with whichsuch lifters are in engagement.

3. In a device of the class described, a container having a plurality ofcompartments in which articles are placed, a plurality of movable meanscarried by the container by the movement of each of which means a groupconsisting of the articles in certain of the compartments is shiftedrelative to the articles in other compartments so that such shiftedarticles can be readily removed,

certain of said articles belonging in more than one group and beingshifted by the movement of any one of a corresponding number of saidmovable means and means for moving such means.

4. In a device of the class described, a container having a plurality ofcompartments in which articles are placed, movable means carried by thecontainer by the movement of which the articles in certain of thecompartments are shifted relative to the other articles so that suchshifted articles can be readily removed, such means comprising aplurality of lifters carried by the various compartments of thecontainer and movable bars by which said lifters are removablyengageable whereby, upon the movement of any of said bars, the liftersengaged thereby raise the articles in those compartments in which suchlifters are carried.

5. In a device of the class described, a container having a plurality ofcompartments in which articles are placed, said compartments beingprovided with openings in the bottom thereof, a plurality of selectors,each selector including an actuable bar, lifters carried by thecompartment openings and engageable by said bars, and means acting uponthe bars to cause them to raise the lifters engaged by the bars andthereby to elevate the articles in those compartments in the openings ofwhich the actuated lifters are carried.

6. In a device of the class described, a container having a plurality ofcompartments in which articles are placed, said compartments beingprovided with openings in the bottom thereof, a plurality of selectors,each selector including a reciprocably mounted bar, lifters carried bythe compartment openings and engaged by said bars, each bar havingpockets open at the lower edge thereof, the upper edges of said pocketsbeing inclined, and rods in the base of the container passed through thepockets in the bars, whereby upon the reciprocation of a bar the bar israised by the contact of the rods with the upper edges of the pocketsand the lifters engaged thereby are actuated to elevate the articles inthose compartments in the openings of which the actuated lifters arecarried.

'7. In a device of the class described, a container having a pluralityof compartments in which articles are placed, each of said compartmentsbeing provided with a slot midway between the side walls thereof, aplurality of selectors, each selector including a bar mounted forreciprocation at right angles to the compartments and the slots therein,lifter buttons carried by said compartment slots, each button having anotch in the lower edge thereof adapted to receive one of the bars of aselector, each bar having pockets open at the lower edge thereof, theupper edges of said pockets being inclined, and rods in the base of thecontainer passed through the pockets in the bars, whereby upon thereciprocation of a bar, the bar is raised by the contact of the rodswith the inclined upper edges of the pockets and those lifter buttonswhich receive that bar are actuated to elevate the articles in thosecompartments in the openings of which the actuated lifters are carried.

edge defined by a pair of spaced parallel legs, and a plurality ofselectors, each selector including a bar mounted for reciprocation andreceived in the notches of certain lifter buttons and means for raisingsaid bars upon reciprocation in one direction and thereby raising saidbuttons and the articles resting thereon.

9. In a device of the class described including a container having aplurality of compartments in g which articles are placed, each of saidcompartments being provided with an opening in the bottom thereof, alifter button in each compartment, each button being adapted to becarried by the opening in its compartment and including a head on whichthe article in the compartment rests, and a body which extends throughthe opening, said body being provided with a notch in the lower edgedefined by a pair of spaced parallel legs, and means extending throughthe notch in the body by which said button is raised to elevate sucharticle.

10. In a device of the class described including a container having aplurality of compartments in which articles are placed, each of saidcompartments being provided with an opening in the bottom thereof,lifting means adapted to be carried by said openings below the articlesin the compartments, and means for actuating simultaneously the liftingmeans in certain preselected compartments to raise the articles therein.

11. In a device of the class described including a container having aplurality of compartments in which articles are adapted to be placed andmeans for shifting the articles in certain preselected compartmentsbodily relative to the articles in the other compartments so that theshifted articles can be readily removed from their compartments, saidmeans comprising a plurality of selectors, each selector including areciprocable bar and a plurality of lifter buttons said buttons beingadapted to be so placed in preselected compartments that the articlestherein rest against the buttons and are selectively engageable by saidbars whereby upon the reciprocation of a bar those buttons engageable bysuch bar act to shift the articles in the preselected compartments inwhich the buttons were placed.

12. In a device of the class described including a container having aplurality of compartments in which articles are placed and means forshifting the articles in certain preselected compartments bodilyrelative to the articles in the other compartments so that the shiftedarticles can be removed from their compartments, said means including aplurality of buttons adapted to be so placed in preselected compartmentsthat the articles therein rest against said buttons and a plurality ofreciprocable bars each bar being selectively engageable by certain ofsaid buttons which buttons are shiftable upon the reciprocation of thebars whereby each button serves both to determine the compartment inwhich the article to be shifted has been placed and also to shift thearticle in said compartment.

13. In a device of the class described, a container having a pluralityof compartments in which articles are adapted to be placed and means forlifting certain pre-selected articles in the container, which meanscomprise a plurality of buttons placed in the compartments and on whichthe articles rest, and a plurality of movable bars engaging said buttonsand by the movement of which the buttons engaged thereby are liftedtogether with the articles resting thereon, said buttons beingselectively in engagement with the bars whereby the articles to belifted are both selected and lifted by said buttons.

WILLIAM M. I-IOUGHTON.

